Cradle mount for a gun barrel



S. CLARK, JR, ET AL CRADLE MOUNT FOR A GUN BARREL Sept. 13, 1955 Filed June 7, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 13, 1955 s CLARK, JR" ET AL 2,717,465

CRADLE MOUNT FOR A GUN BARREL Filed June 7, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 21' mam:

m In Venzars Jawzze! Clark, Jr 16 Gerald E Doug Z02; 76

United States Patent CRADLE MOUNT FOR A GUN BARREL Samuel Clark, Jr., Waterville, Maine, and Gerald R. Douglas, Charleston, W.-Va.

Application June 7, 1951, Serial No. 230,368

14 Claims. (Cl. 42-75) Our invention relates to improvements in hunting and target rifles and the like and has for one object to provide a new and improved type of such firearm which can be cheaply manufactured and wherein great increase of accuracy may be obtained.

Heretofore target and hunting rifles have been made with a metal barrel screwed into a receiver or breech block or other action, which action or receiver is thereafter fastened to a wooden stock'so that the major sup port and control of the barrel is from the stock through theaction to the barrel. The threads whereby the stock and action are connected must of necessity be fairly light, very small in cross section and of necessity, in order to provide a portable arm, the receiver must, at the point where the receiver and the barrel come together he of about the same size as the barrel. Under these circumstances, there is but a small contact shoulder between the barrel and the receiver.

Our experience has shown that under these circumstances, there will always be a slight amount of change in the relationship and relative positions of the barrel and the receiver as successive shots are fired. This tends to vary the point of impact of successive shots. Our experience has also shown us that no matter how carefully the barrel andreceiver are bedded in the stock, changes in temperature and humidity result in differential changes, minute to be sure, in the relationship between the barrel, the receiver and the stock. No matter how much time, money, skill and effort is directed to bedding the receiver and the barrel in the stock, these changes always are present. It is these changes, sometimes cancelling each other out and sometimes not, which result in increasing the size of the group made by a series of successive shots. If these changes could be eliminated, one source of diiference in point of impact would be eliminated and smaller groups could be fired. It is to bring this about that our invention has been made.

Among the major reasons for the high cost of superaccurate rifles is the care and skill required to bed in a wooden stock the barrel together with the receiver of complicated shape in such wise that the receiver will hold the barrel in the stock and support the recoil of the shot. If the receiver can be simplified and serve only as a support for the heat of the shell, the firing mechanism and the means for feeding cartridges to the chamber, no longer functioning as a support for the barrel, greatly increased accuracy will result.

We have found that if the rifle is supported in the stock without there being any contact whatever between the receiver or the barrel and the stock, the rifle barrel itself being mounted in a cradle which is rigidly mounted on the stock, the area of contact between the cradle and the barrel being a relatively small proportion of the length of the barrel, then totally unexpected improvement in accuracy results.

It must be remembered that the most minute changes in barrel alignment at the point of fire produce very large dispersion of bullets at point of impact. Hence 2,717,465 Patented Sept. 13, 1955 while changes resulting from temperature and humidity variations are dimensionally small, they produce great diiferences in result at the point of impact, perhaps 100 or 200 yards from the point of fire.

Under our invention we propose to use a wooden stock, a cradle rigidly bolted to the stock, the cradle receiving and rigidly holding the barrel in a relatively small area near the breech, the barrel being otherwise entirely out of contact with the cradle and so free to vibrate without interference about the nodal point at the cradle. By the same token the receiver is now no longer a structural element to support the barrel but so-to-speak floats on the end of the barrel serving merely as a support for the breech block or bolt and a support for the firing mechanism. The care and difiiculty of inletting the barrel and receiver in the stock thus completely disappear. All that is necessary is to provide plane surfaces on the stock on which the cradle may be bolted with holes through the stock through which bolts may pass to an opposed plate or stirrup on the opposite side of the stock to rigidly anchor the cradle. The cradle can be located at a thick strong heavy part of the stock instead of at the grip or small of the stock where it is weak. All that is necessary is to provide a suflicient aperture through the stock so that the trigger may protrude for manipulation by the shooter.

The cradle needs to be only strong enough and large enough to rigidly support the barrel and support the shock of recoil and clearance between the receiver, the barrel and the stock must be such that there can be no contact between them, except through the cradle.

By this arrangement the cradle tightly gripping a cylindrical portion of the barrel, any type of barrel may be used. It is only necessary that every barrel have a cylindrical portion of length and diameter sufficient to fit the cradle and the same stock under these circumstances may be used for a .22 caliber rifle or any larger type. It is only necessary for the receiver to be attached to the barrel with suificient strength and rigidity to permit proper control of the firing mechanism before firing and proper support of the base of the cartridge case when the piece is fired.

Thus it is simple and easy to change both barrel and receiver or firing mechanism without any measurable change in alignment of the bore.

Our invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation in part section of a gun embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective of the receiver and breech end of the gun;

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a section along the line 4-4 of Figure l;

Figure 5 is a section along the line 55 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is an exploded view of the parts shown in Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing a modified form;

Figure 8 is a section along the line 8 8 of Figure 7;

' mounted on the barrel. The receiver 2 carries the bolt 4. with usual locking lugs which since they are standard and form no part of my invention are not further illustrated. 5 is the sear which interlocks with the firing mechanism. in the usual manner and may bereleased by pressure on the trigger 6. r 7 is a magazine carried by and depending from the receiver 2. S is the butt of the stock, 9 the small of the stock, 10 the fore-end. The butt, small of the stock and fore end are prefcrably of wood as is usual with shoulder fired weapons. 11 is a cradle, inlet into the stock, there being clearance as indicated at 12 between the sides of the cradle, the stock on front and both sides, the only contact of the cradle with the stock being along the broad horizontal plane 12a and the narrower vertical plane 13. The cradle is preferably one-piece of steel. It is held to the stock by a plate or stirrup 14 which may be inlet into the underside of the fore end as indicated though the fore end might be cut away as indicated in dotted lines 15, if desired. 16 are through bolts which extend upwardly from the stirrup through the stock and are threaded in the underside of the cradle so as to hold the cradle rigidly in place on the stock, the wood of the stock being under a substantial measure of compression between the cradle and the stirrup to insure tightness.

The stock is drilled as indicated at 17 to permit the passage of the screws 16 out of contact with the wood of the stock. The cradle contains a longitudinal generally semicylindrical bearing surface 18 to engage the cylindrical portion 19 of the barrel adjacent the breech. 20 is a yoke having a semi-cylindrical seat 21 to engage the cylindrical barrel portion 19 in opposition to the seat 18. Bolts 22 extending through the yoke or saddle 20 are threaded in the cradle 11 to clamp the cylindrical portion of the barrel between the two semi-cylindrical clamping surfaces 18 and 21, the cradle and yoke being cut away as indicated at 23 to provide a sufiicient clearance so that there is no direct contact between cradle and yoke, and the cylindrical barrel may be firmly clamped between them,

The stock beneath the receiver is cut away as indicated at 24, 2'5, 26 to provide a clearance between the receiver, magazine, trigger guard and sear so that none of these elements touch the wood of the stock, the only contact between the wood of the stock and any part of the barrel being by way of the single cradle stirrup and yoke. 27 is a trigger guard screwed to the underside of the stock and 28' is a part of the trigger guard extending forward to mask the lower extremity of the magazine well in the stock.

The contact at 13 between the cradle and the stock may be omitted if the compression pressure between the stirrup and the cradle is suflicient to prevent longitudinal movement of the cradle on the stock. There is no connection between the barrel and receiver and the stock except the single connection at the cradle. Thus the barrel and the receiver are free to vibrate independent of any contact with the wood of the stock, the receiver being supported only on the breech of the barrel and serving therefore in no sense as any support for the barrel, merely holding the bolt against the base of the cartridge in the barrel and supporting the trigger and sea-r mechanism.

In the modified form shown in Figures 7 to 9 inclusive, the receiver 29 differs from the receiver 2 in that it has no magazine attached to it. In this case, the magazine 30 is carried by the wood of the stock and extends up toward the underside of the receiver, penetrating it but entirely out of contact with it as indicated at 31.

Flanges 32 on the magazine limit the upward movement of the follower 33 under the pressure of the spring 34 so that a cartridge lying on the follower plate 33 pressed upwardly by the spring 34 may, in the usual way, be tripped from the magazine by the forward movement of the bolt without there being any contact between the magazine supported by the stock and the freely floating receiver supported only on the barrel.

Figures 7 and 9 show a modification in that the cradle 11, instead of being opposed to a single yoke 20 has opposed to it two separate yokes 35 and 36, each yoke being held to the receiver by the screws 22. Because the cradle 11 is a rigid heavy piece of metal, it makes little difference, if any, whether the yoke is one-piece, or two. It is a matter of artistry and design.

We have shown the yoke and cradle as being cut from a square block. The yoke or yokes and cradle may, of course, be rounded, reduced in cross section, changed in size or shape so long as they cooperate to hold the barrel rigidly in place on the stock at a single point.

Under these circumstances, change in size or shape of the stock resulting from change in moisture, temperature and the like can have no efiect on the barrel, the barrel being supported at one point only, free to vibrate with the receiver.

It is necessary to have a smooth, solid contact between the cradle and the stock sufiicient to permit the handling, aiming, firing, loading and cleaning of the gun and sutricient to transmit the recoil to the shoulder of the shooter.

The size and shape of the receiver is of little consequence provided it is relatively light in weight in proportion to the barrel. We have illustrated the usual type of Mauser action receiver with sliding bolt and Mauser scar. Any one of the well-known types of actions might be substituted for the Mauser type, Martini rising block, rolling block or the like, it being sufficient that there he means provided to close the breech and means'provided to fire the cartridge.

We have illustrated the contact between the barrel and the cradle as a cylindrical contact. Under some circumstances the cradle and yoke might be relieved so as to limit the area of contact to avoid the expense of accurately fitting the barrel and cradle though in either case so long as the barrel is held only in the short cradle, the desired result is obtained.

While in popular parlance the entire barrel and receiver assembly is understood to be attached at and contact the stock at but a single point, it will be understood that by point is meant a single zone of attachment in contrast to the heretofore generally regarded necessity of having the receiver contact the stock and be attached thereto and the barrel contact the stock in one or more places and be at one or more places attached to the stock. There is but a single zone of attachment, whether the cradle is made of one, two or more parts, the one point being that this single zone of attachment is so short in terms of overall length of barrel and receiver assembly that the barrel and receiver assembly may vibrate about this single zone of attachment without any other contact with the stock.

We claim:

1. In combination, a gun stock adapted for off-shoulder firing, a cradle rigidly attached to the stock, a gun barrel rigidly mounted in the cradle adjacent the breech of the barrel, a receiver mounted on the barrel breech, the receiver and barrel being entirely out of contact with the stock.

2. In combination, a gun stock adapted for off-shoulder firing, a cradle rigidly attached to the stock, a gun barrel rigidly mounted in the cradle, a receiver mounted on the barrel breech, the receiver and barrel being entirely out of contact with the stock.

3. In combination, a gun stock adapted for off-shoulder firing, a cradle rigidly attached to the stock, a gun barrel rigidly mounted in the cradle, a receiver mounted on the barrel breech, the receiver and barrel being entirely out of contact with the stock, the barrel and cradle having engaging surfaces parallel with the axis of the barrel and means for holding those surfaces in contact under pressure sufficient to prevent movement of the barrel in the cradle.

4-. In combination, a gun stock adapted for off-shoulder firing, a cradle rigidly attached to the stock, a gun barrel rigidly mounted in the cradle, a receiver mounted on the barrel breech, the receiver and barrel being entirely out of contact with the stock, means for preventing a longitudinal movement of the barrel in the cradle.

5. In combination, a gun stock adapted for off-shoulder firing, a cradle rigidly attached to the stock, a gun barrel rigidly mounted in the cradle, a receiver mounted on the barrel breech, the receiver and barrel being entirely out of contact with the stock, the barrel and cradle having mating cylindrical surfaces, means for drawing them together to insure such frictional engagement between the surfaces as Will prevent movement of the barrel in the cradle.

6. In combination, a gun stock adapted for off-shoulder firing, a cradle rigidly attached to the stock, a gun barrel rigidly mounted in the cradle, a receiver mounted on the barrel breech, the receiver and barrel being entirely out of contact with the stock, the cradle comprising a metallic block bolted to the stock, a removable saddle adapted to hold the barrel rigidly in the cradle.

7. In combination, a gun stock adapted for oif-shoulder firing, a cradle rigidly attached to the stock, a gun barrel rigidly mounted in the cradle, a receiver mounted on the barrel breech, the receiver and barrel being entirely out of contact with the stock, the cradle comprising a metallic block bolted to the stock, and a pair of spaced removable saddles adapted to hold the barrel in the cradle.

8. In combination, a gun stock adapted for oif-shoulder firing, a cradle rigidly attached to the stock, a gun barrel rigidly mounted in the cradle, a receiver mounted on the barrel breech, the receiver and barrel being entirely out of contact with the stock, the receiver including a trigger mechanism, the trigger extending through but entirely out of contact with the stock.

9. In combination, a gun stock adapted for ofishoulder firing, a cradle rigidly attached to the stock, a gun barrel rigidly mounted in the cradle, a receiver mounted on the barrel breech, the receiver and barrel being entirely out of contact with the stock, the receiver including a trigger mechanism, the trigger extending through but entirely out of contact with the stock, a trigger guard rigidly mounted on the stock but out of contact with the trigger.

10. In combination, a gun stock adapted for oilshoulder firing, a cradle rigidly attached to the stock, a gun barrel rigidly mounted in the cradle, a receiver mounted on the barrel breech, the receiver and barrel being entirely out of contact with the stock, the receiver including a magazine extending through the stock but entirely out of contact therewith.

11. In combination, a gun stock adapted for olfshoulder firing, a cradle rigidly attached to the stock, a gun barrel rigidly mounted in the cradle, a receiver mounted on the barrel breech, the receiver and barrel being entirely out of contact with the stock, a magazine in the stock and out of contact with the receiver.

12. In combination, a gun stock adapted for olfshoulder firing, a cradle rigidly attached to the stock, a gun barrel rigidly mounted in the cradle, a receiver mounted on the barrel breech, the receiver and barrel being entirely out of contact with the stock, a magazine extending through the stock, means for feeding cartridges from the magazine to the receiver without contact between the receiver and any element on the stock.

13. In combination, a gun stock adapted for offshoulder firing, a cradle rigidly attached to the stock, a gun barrel rigidly mounted in the cradle, a receiver mounted on the barrel breech, the receiver and barrel being entirely out of contact with the stock, the cradle including a metal block resting on the upper portion of the stock, a stirrup member engaging the lower portion of the stock, bolts joining the block and stirrup and holding them together to compress the stock material between them.

14. In combination, a gun stock adapted for ofishoulder firing and including a fore-end and a butt, a cradle rigidly attached to the stock, a gun barrel rigidly mounted in the cradle, a receiver mounted on the barrel breech, the receiver and barrel being entirely out of contact with the stock, the cradle being supported on the fore-end of the stock.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,205,857 Marchand June 25, 1940 2,372,568 Grigg Mar. 27, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS 655,125 Great Britain July 11, 1951 

